The National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI) is recruiting a director to drive market-led research and technology development in the subsea industry.

The subsea focused technology research arm of Subsea UK is seeking to replace current project director, Dr Gordon Drummond, who is returning to Subsea 7 following his three year secondment to NSRI.

NSRI facilitates and coordinates research and development activities within the UK’s subsea sector. The successful candidate will be responsible for building on NSRI’s success in ensuring the UK’s subsea technology needs are understood and met within increasingly complex and competitive technology strategies and associated funding landscape.

Supported by Subsea UK and key sponsor companies, including Total, Shell, BP, Subsea 7, Wood and Scottish Enterprise, NSRI plays a key role in communicating the needs of the industry to the supply chain, encouraging market-led development of technology. With a limited budget, the initiative has achieved considerable success in understanding and mapping industry needs, promoting collaborative projects and building greater links across the subsea sector, including with academia, resulting in increased subsea technology related research and deployment across the UK.

Through its technology roadmaps, associated workshops and industry engagements, NSRI is successfully marrying the industrial need with the technology providers and research capability across the UK. This includes marine renewables and subsea mining as well as subsea oil & gas. It has also delivered an online matchmaker service which receives around 600 hits per month, and a series of high profile events that have achieved exposure among the end users of technology, innovators, sponsors and academia.

Chairman of NSRI, Peter Blake, said: “NSRI has made significant strides towards meaningful engagement between industry, government and academia. Dr Drummond has played a pivotal role in the numerous achievements of NSRI in the last three years and, on behalf of the board, I’d like to pay tribute to his sterling work and wish him well for the future.”

Working collaboratively with the OGTC, OGIC and other innovation centres, NSRI is ensuring that the technology needs of subsea end users are recognised and advanced. It continues to lead on the drive to identify and develop new subsea technology that will help unlock the potential of small pools of hydrocarbons in the North Sea and deliver significant gains in the renewables and mining sectors that in turn will advance the export of UK subsea technology.

“We are therefore looking for a candidate with extensive subsea experience in developing and deploying technology and an understanding of the innovation landscape involved in such work,” explained Mr Blake.

The successful candidate will have a background in working to advance technology and understand the difficulties those in this field can face. The project director will advise business, technology developers, universities and academics as they look for support in bringing new innovations to market that can push the UK energy industry forward for years to come.

Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK, added: “NSRI’s strong links into Subsea UK ensure that it is fully aligned with what industry needs and it’s why the two organisations work alongside each other. Subsea UK echoes Mr Blake’s praise of and gratitude to Dr Drummond. He will be a hard act to follow but, for such an exciting role, we are confident of securing a strong line-up of candidates.

“It is critical that we continue to invest in subsea technology to ensure Britain remains at the forefront of the global industry. We will only stay ahead of the game by improving the knowledge transfer between our industry and academia. This is where NSRI plays its most valuable role in bringing all the relevant organisations together to advance market-led research and technology development.”